300300
Discrete assessment rubric
Tables 7, 8 and 9 illustrate how IELTS can construct discrete assessment categories that
vastly improve its current set of flawed subjective rubrics, i.e. for speaking and writing.
Table 7 is an example of an assessment rubric that uses objective criteria to place an
examinee’s performance for a language skill in one band score only. This example
illustrates the assessment of a candidate’s written English language spelling skills.
Table 7
An example of a discrete objective assessment rubric: Writing task 1 and 2
IELTS band score Spelling: 200-word short discussion task
9 Spells 0 to two words incorrectly.
8 Spells 3 to 20 words incorrectly.
7 Spells approximately three quarters of all words correctly.*
6 Spells approximately two thirds of all words correctly.
5 Spells approximately half of all words correctly.
4 Spells 40 to 94 words correctly.
3 Spells 30 to 39 words correctly.
2 Spells 10 to 29 words correctly.
1 Spells less than 10 words correctly.
0 Does not attempt the task.- A person who spells 30 words incorrectly may be awarded band score 7.5